The Patriots struggling defense took another hit this week with the announcement that Dont’a Hightower will be out for the season with a torn Pectoral muscle. This was first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com
#Patriots LB Dont’a Hightower has a torn pec and is out for the year, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 26, 2017
The injury happened when Hightower tackled Devonta Freeman during a win on Sunday night against the Atlanta Falcons. This was first reported as a minor shoulder injury. Hightower was expected to miss “a game and small amount of time” during the Patriots bye-week after this Sunday.
This bad news for a team who just resigned Hightower to a four-year $35.5 million deal. This injury also hits Hightower’s wallet. He will now lose about &2.6 million in incentives due to the injury. His salary and signing bonus are guaranteed.
Many teams wouldn’t offer Dont’a Hightower big money this offseason due to injury concerns. Hightower is a top player on the Pats defense when healthy but hs missed his fair share of games in his career.
With the lose of Dont’a the Patriots are lacking some depth in their linebacker chart. With Hightower sidelined, look for Kyle Van Noy, David Harris, and Elandon Roberts to see more time against the Chargers. The Patriots promoted Trevor Reilly from the practice squad this week after Hightower’s injury. They do have solid contributors but losing Hightower puts a lot of pressure there.
If the Patriots wanted they could trade for a solid addition. The name Mychal Kendricks comes to mind. The former second-round pick has been unhappy about his role in the Philadelphia Eagles defense for some time. If New England makes the call I’m sure Philly will ship him over there for the right return.
